The show will be hosted by Steve Martin & Alec Baldwin.

Last year, the 81st annual Academy Awards took place on Sunday, February 22, 2009. The host was actor Hugh Jackman.

Presenters in 2009 included Will Smith, Jennifer Aniston, Robert De Niro, Reese Witherspoon, Anthony Hopkins, Halle Berry, Steven Spielberg, Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Alicia Keys, Liam Neeson, Sophia Loren, Adrian Brody, Eddie Murphy, Michael Douglas, Goldie Hawn, Zac Efron, Jack Black, Whoopie Goldberg, Steve Martin, Anjelica Houston, Sarah Jessica Parker, Robert Patterson, Natalie Portman, Ben Stiller, Jessica Biel, Kevin Kline, Cuba Gooding Jr, Ben Kingsley, Joel Grey, Queen Latifah, Shirley MacLaine and Anne Hathaway,

The event has been televised live since 1953, and while the Superbowl draws larger numbers here in the States, the Academy believes the Oscar show to be "the most-watched television show in the world annually," as people all over the world tune in to watch the ceremony on TV from the comfort of their homes.

Of course, you've got to be willing to pay the price... and we're not talking about money here. It's unlikely that any amount of cash could get you into the Academy Awards show. But if you enter your name and are lucky enough to win a drawing, and if you're willing to wait long enough before the show, you can be among those lucky few in the bleachers outside the Kodak Theatre who get to watch the celebrities as they arrive in their limousines and walk up the red carpet into the auditorium.

Large grandstands are set up nearby to allow spectators a view of the stars, as they exit their limousines curbside and walk to the auditorium. The stars make their way up the red carpet, running the gauntlet of photographers, and stopping to give interviews to the horde of TV news crews and entertainment reporters, before entering the Kodak. It's a great opportunity to see (and take photos of) your favorite superstars, since virtually everyone who is anyone in Hollywood comes to the Academy Awards show.

The past hosts (Masters of Ceremony) alone represent a virtual " Who's Who " of Hollywood, including LionelBarrymore, WillRogers, BobHope, JackBenny, JimmyStewart, Fred Astaire, DannyKaye, JackLemmon, Sir LawrenceOlivier, FrankSinatra, HelenHayes, SammyDavisJr., CarolBurnett, CharltonHeston, RockHudson, DianaRoss, GeneKelly, Warren Beatty, JaneFonda, RichardPryor, JohnnyCarson -and more recently, BillyCrystal, WhoopiGoldberg, SteveMartin, Ellen DeGeneres and DavidLetterman.

Unless you're an Academy member, your chances of actually getting inside to actually see the awards show are virtually zero. (In 1996, two people spent big bucks on scalped tickets, and made the headlines - when they were thrown out of the ceremony. Tickets are non-transferable.)

Fortunately, the bleachers outside, with a view of the red carpet, are free to the public.

In previous years, fans had to camp out on the streets for days in advance, in order to secure a spot in the bleachers - which were first come-first serve. However, two things happened to change things in 2002: one was Oscar's move from the Shrine Auditorium to the Kodak Theatre. The other was the reaction to the terrorist attacks of 9/11.

It would be a lot more difficult for fans to camp out on the busy city streets near Hollywood & Highland, and with new security concerns, the organizers wanted to pre-screen every fan who came into the bleachers. So, for 2002, they came up with an entirely new system. For the first time, they gave away reserved seat tickets, guaranteeing a seat in the bleachers, with no need to wait in line.

But the down side is that there are only 700 seats available. So they now have a random drawing of all the applications received (so long as they are postmarked by the correct date). Everyone now has an equal chance of getting bleacher seat tickets. Mind you, those chances aren't very good (about one out of 12, if last year is any indication), but at least you now have the same shot as everyone else.

As for the show itself, the first movie stars start usually arriving at around 4 PM, a few as early as 3:30 PM (when the sun is still shining) for this black tie affair, but most of the celebs show up after 4:30 PM. By 5:30 PM, the stars are all inside and the show begins. The police block off the surrounding streets, and the stars say that just traveling the few blocks from the freeway to the auditorium can take an hour in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

The very first Oscars were handed out at a dinner held in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.

For the next 14 years (1929-1943), the ceremonies alternated between the Biltmore Hotel and the Ambassador Hotel's Coconut Grove, where the awards ceremonies included a banquet for the stars. The banquet part was dropped after 1944, when the awards ceremony moved to Grauman's Chinese Theatre (1944-1946). Then for two years the show was held at the Shrine Auditorium (1947-1948). In the 1950's, the Oscar ceremonies settled down to the Pantages Theatre, where they remained until 1960. Then, from 1961 to 1968, the ceremony moved to the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium.

Finally, in 1969, the Oscars found what appeared to be a semi-permanent home downtown at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in the Los Angeles Music Center, where the ceremonies were held for most of the following years. In the mid-90's they began to alternate between the Music Center and the far larger Shrine Auditorium.

Finally, in 2002, a new, permanent home for the Oscars was built, and it returned the Oscars to downtown Hollywood where they started.

TrizecHahn Corp. built a massive $600 million project called ' Hollywood & Highland ' on Hollywood Blvd., next to Grauman's Chinese Theatre, an outdoor mall filled with restaurants, boutiques and movie theatres. The center includes a 3,300-seat state-of-the-art Kodak theatre which has now become the permanent home for the annual Academy Award ceremonies. Included in the project is a 30,000-square foot ballroom for the annual Governor's Ball (which follows the ceremony).

Custom designed to meet the Academy's needs, with camera positions built-in, the new venue was created to be the perfect location for the annual awards show. (The building is also used for Broadway theatre, concerts, and other events during the rest of the year.)

2002 marked the first year of the Oscars' return to Hollywood. Fittingly, the Oscars' new home is right across the street from the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, the site where the very first Academy Awards ceremony was held in 1929.

on Hollywood Boulevard: from Gower Street to La Brea Avenue,
and on Vine Street: from Yucca Street to Sunset Boulevard.

The lyrics of " Celluloid Heroes "*, a song by The Kinks, tell us:

"You can see all the stars as you walk down Hollywood Blvd "

Well, most days you are unlikely to see any real movie stars here on the Boulevard, but if you look down at your feet, you'll see the kind " stars " Ray Davies sang about: the bronze star-plaques, embedded in pink & charcoal terrazzo squares on the world's most famous sidewalk: the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

These renowned sidewalk " stars " salute the celebrities who made Hollywood great - from the silent film stars of yesteryear to the modern action heroes of today's blockbusters. As the song says, you'll see the names of:

"...Some that you recognize,
some that you hardly even heard of;
People who worked and suffered and struggled for fame,
Some who succeeded, and some who suffered in vain..." *

These sidewalk " stars " honor not only movie actors, but radio, TV, & stage performers, directors, singers, songwriters, and other well-known show-biz personalities.

Right below the name of each celebrity on the five-pointed stars is a small, round emblem which illustrates the celebrity's category, with one of five symbols: a motion picture camera (for movie stars & directors), a television set (for those in the television industry), a phonograph record (for singers, songwriters, and recording artists), a radio microphone (for radio luminaries), and the twin theatrical masks of comedy & tragedy (for live stage performers).

The celebrity with the most " stars " on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is singing-cowboy Gene Autry, who earned five different " stars," one in each of the above categories. His five stars are located at 6644, 6520, 6384, 6667, and 7000 Hollywood Boulevard,

While the limited space at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre forecourt is precious, and is reserved for true Hollywood royalty, one needn't be a superstar to earn a " star " here on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The Walk started out in 1960 with over 2,500 "stars,", 948 of which were blank, and 1,558 of which were dedicated to past Hollywood greats. About 2,400 of the stars have been dedicated so far - with more being added recently to the Walk's west end. " Stars " on the Walk of Fame have been awarded to minor TV personalities, local radio deejays, animated characters, and even to two dogs: Lassie and Rin Tin Tin.

The selection process is sometimes confusing. Game show host Bob Barker has a " star. " So does Pat Sajak (host of " Wheel of Fortune ") and Thomas Edison (who invented motion pictures), as well as Big Bird, Pee Wee Herman and Mabel Taliaferro! Yet some major movie stars, such as Robert Redford, Mel Gibson, Jane Fonda and Clint Eastwood, still haven't been awarded " stars " on the boulevard.

It has become traditional for fans to place flowers on the " star " of a celebrity who has just died. Sometimes, the " star " even serves as a gathering place for concerned fans. In 1993, for instance, when Michael Jackson was accused of child molestation, fans left notes of support on Jackson's " star " in front of the Chinese Theatre. And Beatles fans gather each year at John Lennon 's star to commemorate the anniversary of his death.

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